


Fascination

by rhapshie



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Also Ogata has a cat, Alternate Universe, M/M, Ogata and Sai being dumb and dense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 06:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14231109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: Ogata's Go skill is astounding, yet he isn't a professional and Sai cannot help but wonder why.





	Fascination

**Author's Note:**

  * For [olympia_m](https://archiveofourown.org/users/olympia_m/gifts).



> Thanks to Olympia, my OgaSai enabler. GEEZ. I ended up thinking about this fic at work and decided to make good of my fleeting ideas. Not about to make another multichap, so a quick one it is.
> 
> Anyway, by this point, all of you should know that I'm terrible at grammar. I usually write in past tense so using present is something new. Hopefully I didn't destroy the story with bad grammar.

Sai isn't entirely sure what draws him to the man dressed primly in a white suit, dark blue shirt and the rather eye-catching yellow tie out of the many others middle-aged men and teenagers alike inside the internet cafe. Perhaps it's due to the fact that he seems so absorbed in the screen, eyes narrowing and brows furrowing as if trying to comprehend the incomprehensible before he sighs dejectedly and clicks on the mouse under his right hand. This time, a look of clear disinterest radiates from him as he idly rests his cheek against his curled fingers.

The concentration that he displays before his mood stoops reminds Sai of himself whenever he sits in front of a Go-ban, unflinching as he waits for his opponent to make a move.

"Sai, I'm almost done. Just hold on a tic," Hikaru says before he runs off again, this time to the printing room to pay for the few sheets of kifu he plans on reviewing later. Full of energy, as usual.

"Ah, sure," Sai nods, momentarily ripping his attention away from the man with strawberry-blond hair only to lay his eyes on him once more a split second later. In sheer curiosity, he approaches the bespectacled male and as he draws closer and is pleasantly surprised when he sees the reflection of the screen on the prescription lenses of his glasses.

Sai hums in joy and decides to pick up his pace to stand behind the stranger who looks displeased at the match of NetGo he is playing. The man in the suit doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary as he scoffs when a black stone pops on the screen.

"This is embarrassing." He mumbles under his breath and instantly places a white.

Sai blinks as the match unfolds. The man's opponent is losing by a horrifying amount and still refuses to resign. The game is approaching yose and Sai's sharp eyes dissect the board in full, slowly reconstructing it in his head. His opponent is by no mean, weak. Black's skill is that of an insei, albeit not the strongest he has seen, yet skilful nonetheless. Some of their moves are questionable for his standard, but no helpless amateurs will be able to capitalise on them.

However, the bespectacled man is not only good, he is absolutely amazing. All of his moves are sharp, thoughtful and efficient. He is just as good as his student, Hikaru, or even Akira who already made it into professional scene. His curiosity is piqued even more as he takes a quick glance at his username.  _Nori [8d]._

 _"An 8-dan NetGo player?"_ Sai narrows his eyes. Although NetGo is notorious for being inaccurate in terms of its ranking system, he knows that not just anyone can reach 3-dan unless they are an insei. A lot of beginner professionals are in their 5 or 6-dan so needless to say, 8-dan is a very impressive rank for someone who is only an amateur. Sai wants to get to the bottom of it. He wants to question why a man of his calibre is not yet a pro, why he messes around in NetGo and who his teacher is and if  _he_  can be his teacher and if he can play a match with him and—

"Let's go!" Hikaru exclaims, zipping right past Sai, effectively cutting his thoughts short as the boy grabs his arm and drags him out of the internet cafe.

.

For the next few days, Sai watches  _Nori_. He wants to be sure that the prowess he witnessed is no fluke.

All of his games have been consistently terrifying and he shows virtually no weaknesses. It's partly his opponents' fault too, as they are far too weak for him and  _Nori_ always end up wiping the floor with them.

Sai cannot help but wonder about  _Nori_ 's real identity and he decides to ask Waya about it, the NetGo forum savvy.

"Nori _?_  Nori  _8-dan?_ " The boy asks back through the cell phone line, more surprised than confused. " _Did you play him, Fujiwara-sensei?"_

"I saw him playing at an internet cafe and such level of Go is rather astounding," Sai admits as he sits next to Hikaru on the sofa, tuned into his favourite weekly anime series. "Well, I suppose being a professional does not dictate one's skill and love for the game, but..." He sighs, this time ignoring the fact that his student is spilling tempura crumbs all over the sofa as he is far too busy to notice it. "NetGo is hardly the place for someone of such skill."

" _You_   _met_  Nori _?!"_  Waya practically screams at his ear, making Sai flinch and takes the cellphone away from his ear momentarily.  _"What was he like?!"_

"I didn't get a good look, but he's in his late 20s and he has this..." The man recalls the look on  _Nori_ 's face back then. A look of pure, unfiltered focus that only means that Go is far from a hobby for him. Sai has always find such expression to be respectable but generally only reserved for an official match. "...look." He finishes off shortly.

Uncertain about what the rising genius is talking about, Waya brushes it off as one of Sai's many cryptic moments. " _As far as I'm concerned, he's been around ever since NetGo opens. No one really knows his identity because he doesn't talk to anyone._ "

That only serves to make Sai all the more keen to shed some light on  _Nori_ 's identity.

.

Ogata Seiji has always had a fascination for all things that he cannot wrap his head around. Go, for one. Ever since he first learns the rules of Go and see that it's not a game that he can master through brute force alone, he has been obsessed with it. Seiji has been playing for a little over twenty years but he feels that he is not any closer to finding out the essence of Go comparing to his 6 years old self and that serves as nothing but fuel for his burning love for the game.

He knows of the existence of the professional world and has a good grasp of how much money one can make once they have risen high enough on the ladder. Alas, Seiji has other more pressing, private concern that he simply cannot afford to even think about taking the exam.

"Nori, stop it," Seiji mutters as he sees a small paw repeatedly poking against the back of his newspaper. However, when the movement shows no sign of stopping any time soon, Seiji sighs and closes the paper with a small rustle as he places it next to his breakfast just to see a small, black American shorthair cat. "You finished your milk already?"

Nori meows, walking to the corner of the desk as if demanding some affection.

"You're a spoiled girl, you know that?" Seiji chuckles, gently running his palm between the cat's ears and he is rewarded with a soft purr of contentment. After finishing the rest of his food, he arranges his plates and cutlery neatly in a dishwasher and leaves his apartment with Nori.

As he drives to work, he thinks back to the match he had against an infuriatingly skilled opponent who goes by the name s _ai_. He has heard of him, everyone has, a professional player so bright he already stakes claim over three of the seven major titles at a young age of 25 years old. Only 2 years younger than he is. Hearing about his prowess is one thing, but witnessing it is a whole another thing.

 _sai_  plays an intimidating Go that threatens to trample him flat to the ground if he doesn't tread carefully and truly, it makes his heart race. Something that definitely hasn't happened for a while due to shortage of strong human players he faces lately. Seiji found himself pondering over each of his move carefully, wasting a lot more time that he otherwise wouldn't have. He tossed everything he has and he believes that the game he played that night is the best game he has ever played in his life thus far. However, it didn't stop  _sai_  from cleanly cutting him into insignificant pieces and looms over him like a mountain.

And Seiji  _loves_  every second of it.

.

The first time Sai sees  _Nori_  again is in front of an internet cafe. The man is taking one long inhale of the cigarette between his fingers before exhaling and allowing smoke to escape from his lips. Sai's eyes widen in disbelief at the coincidence as he breaks into a run, shimmying through the crowd thanks to his slim figure. He makes it just in time to grab  _Nori_  tightly by the arm before he has the chance to leave.

Seiji frowns at the sudden contact from a stranger. A very attractive young woman with extraordinarily long and luscious hair at that. Perhaps in her early or mid-twenties.

"Finally," Sai's eyes glimmer with joy as his fingers clench around Seiji even more firmly than before. "I found you."

The bespectacled man blinks, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean?" Seiji flinches, moving a step backwards reflexively as the pungent smell of lavender intrudes his nose. The stranger is now up close, face merely inches away from his own that he can almost see their noses touching.

"Play a game with me."

Seiji frowns at the statement but he makes no attempt at roughly pulling away as he deems that the woman bears no ill will. After a momentary silence of him trying to make sense of the whole context, he quickly erases the thought that she might be a prostitute. Thankfully, he doesn't have to make any more guesses as the woman leans even further in at the distance that Seiji slowly creates between the two.

"You're  _Nori_."

"Oh." It finally clicks in his head. She must have seen him playing in the internet cafe sometimes that week. Usually Seiji uses with his personal laptop, but since a virus managed to squirm its way into it, he has sent it away to be serviced. He never thought that he will be discovered so quickly, however. "Yes, but no." Seiji shrugs nonchalantly, this time forcibly withdrawing his hand. He sees no point in trying to deny the claim as he can see that the stranger is already one-hundred and ten percent sure of her assumption.

"Why not?" Sai's voice is tinged with childlike curiosity and disappointment as he once again closes the gap between them until he has the man cornered. The mix of cologne and smoke enters his nostrils as he does so. "You play just like a seasoned professional and with the proper training, you can go to such great height!" Sai raises the volume as he clenches his fingers into fists and press them together, eyes sparkling with bottomless excitement and Seiji finally finding the meaning of 'getting lost in one's eyes' at that moment. "Play with me. Show me your strength and I promise you, I will do everything in my power to tap into your true potential."

The bespectacled man scoffs at the statement before finally regaining his composure and push the woman in kimono away softly. Claiming that she can train him? What a laugh. "I'm sorry. I have no interest in playing professionally if that's what you're implying."

"And why not?" Sai presses on once more with his intrusive questions, genuinely curious as to why. Of course being a professional is not necessary, but it's a shortcut to playing challenging opponents and being rewarded with more satisfying victories. Surely, a man with a skill such as  _Nori_ 's will not be happy just through playing amateurs.

"Family issues," Seiji says, locking eyes into Sai's to reinforce the gravity of the situation. "We have a huge debt and as the only child, I have to try my hardest to keep everything together. So," He smiles, patting the slender and ridiculously tall woman in front of him on the shoulder. "No Go for me."

Before Sai can say anything to express his guilt for pressuring  _Nori_  into playing Go without first understanding his circumstances, the man slinks away and disappears among the crowd.

"Fujiwara-sensei?" Akira approaches the older professional with two cans of Oolong tea, watching the bodies where a familiar man runs off into. "Did you have business with Ogata-san?"

"Oh, Akira-kun! You know  _Nori-_ san? You must tell him that I apologise for being insensitive! I didn't know that he's in such a predicament, and oh dear! I must have hurt his feelings." Sai rambles on, eyebrows drooping when he realises what damage he might have caused for him.

"Calm down, Fujiwara-sensei. What happened?" The young prodigy responds, cutting off his senior before he has the chance to continue.

" _Nori_ -san! He's an astounding Go player. I had the chance of playing him last night and oh!" Squealing in delight, Sai finds himself momentarily distracted by the sincerity and confidence displayed by the man. "He is absolutely stunning. I offered to teach him, but I didn't know that his family in such predicament... it must be harsh to try to make ends meet when pressured by debt."

"Uhm..." Akira trails off, unsure if Sai is pulling his leg or not. However, the man is known for his naivete, so there is no plausible way as to why he will be joking around. "That's Ogata Seiji-san. I had the opportunity of observing his game against father just a few months ago. He's the heir to the number one accounting firm in Tokyo and his family owns twenty estates all across Japan. So, ah... it isn't possible that he is burdened by debt."

Sai is dumbstruck as he blinks, opening his mouth to say something but he is stopped short when he hears an intimidating rumble of engine. Looking towards the source of the noise, he sees a red Ferrari with the window rolled down. Inside, sits Seiji who has his elbow bent, half poking out of the window and other his free hand handling the steering wheel effortlessly, a smirk plastered on his lips. And he winks.

.

Seiji never thought that he will see the strange woman again so soon and outside his office of all places. He considers taking the long route out to avoid her altogether but swiftly dismisses the idea as she seems gullible enough. Perhaps he will be able to get another laugh or two from deceiving her again. Last time has been quite humorous when he glanced back at the side mirror to see her face turning red in frustration at believing such far-fetched lie.

"Ogata-san!" Sai immediately jumped at the man, this time expression a lot more stern than last time. "Why did you lie?"

The man in suit merely shrugs at the tone. "I wanted to get away as soon as I can. I didn't believe you'd fall for it. It was amusing, truth be told."

The professional does not seem to think so as she pouts, lips curling and cheeks inflating. It makes Seiji's heart skips a beat. "Let's play! There's a Go salon nearby."

"I only play NetGo, unfortunately." Seiji rubs the back of his neck, a little troubled at the fact that he feels warmth seeping out from within and crawling all over his cheeks. "Look—" Before he can finish his sentence, Sai promptly grasp his hand and pull it closer to inspect his fingers closely.

"No callouses," The stranger's eyelashes flutter as she looks back at Seiji who can just barely keep it together in the face of stunning beauty and purity. "You're telling the truth. But why?"

Seiji glances back behind him where office workers in their suits walk by, saying their goodbyes to the bespectacled male as they do so. Then, he looks back at Sai who takes his time to finally marvel at the fully furnished high rise before him. It looks just like a five-star hotel lobby with the polished marble tiles and gorgeous columns with high level of craftmanship. "Do you understand?" Seiji starts with a sigh. "I can't even if I wanted to."

"I see," Sai lowers his head dejectedly. From the way Seiji's tone drops momentarily, Sai can hear a tinge of sadness and longing. Seiji must have been pressured to start running the business from a young age. His whole future dictated for him without any question regarding what he wants in life. "But... but can't you just play? You don't have to give it all up."

Seiji looks away from Sai, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. The answer is no." He murmurs, slowly walking past the long-haired male.

"You love Go too much," Sai mutters sadly, not missing how the man next to him seems to tense and stop short on his track. "You fear that if you touch a stone, you will not be able to contain yourself." He turns to face Seiji, the man's eyes widen as he blinks underneath his glasses. "I'm right, am I not?"

Seiji chuckles and walks off.

.

The third time Sai meets Seiji is completely coincidental.

He has just finished celebrating his success at defending the Kisei title and is slightly intoxicated after all the sake that his friends force down his throat. Hikaru finds it especially hilarious to watch Sai getting overwhelmed although Akira only glares in distaste at his rival's unbecoming attitude towards their teacher.

But there he is, in the corner of the room. Lounging on the sofa with a few of his co-workers as he downs one shot after the other in quick succession. Laughter booms from their direction as one man passes out completely on the couch, admitting his defeat at Seiji's ability to handle his alcohol.

Tipsy, Sai makes his way towards the group and almost trips in the process but making it in one piece in the end. Seiji immediately notices the mysterious woman approaching him and places a hand on his shoulder, making him place his shot glass on the desk and glaring at his friends who take their time to whistle.

"A game, Ogata-san," Sai mutters, eyes still having their glimmer even when clearly not sober. 

"I keep telling you. I won't play." Seiji rolls his eyes, this time standing up to face the long-haired individual to show that he isn't about to sway any time soon.

Sai blinks at him with disappointment written all over him. "...Ever?"

Seiji wonders how she manages to spell out her emotion through her eyes alone but finds it quite to be  _extremely_  irresistible. He has always valued honesty and integrity above all else. However, he steels himself as he stiffly replies, "Ever."

Sai immediately cries and in a moment of bewilderment, Seiji almost does too.

.

Seiji has his hands full as it's Sunday, meaning that Nori's bath and grooming day. The damn cat just doesn't make his job easy as she evades him with an insane agility that makes Ogata crosses his arms as his pet hisses at him from on top of the cupboard. Honestly, Nori is mostly lovely and well behaved, which means that he can bring her to work, but gods be damned, she's a handful sometimes.

"Nori, come down here." He mutters impatiently, a brush on his hand. "Come on, we both know that this won't stop until you give up and let me bathe you."

The cat hisses at him once more as she leaps from the cupboard to the bulkhead just above the curved screen television which has switched to an interview with Sai and his successful defence with an overwhelming victory during the Kisei League.

Seiji thinks that he's about to pass out when he sees what Sai actually looks like. The woman that has been hounding him is actually a  _man_  and he's no other than Fujiwara Sai, Meijin-Kisei-Judan. The genius acclaimed all over the world as the modern era Shuusaku and Seiji considers lying down to recover from the shocking revelation. And he really should have, because what comes next makes him want to slam his head against the nearest wall.

"I'm waiting for that game, Ogata-san!" He waves at the screen excitedly.

All Seiji want to do is to dig a hole and hide in there forever.

.

By the fifth time, Seiji's will to refuse a game is at an all-time low as Sai once more visits him at his office. He played against  _Sai_. He got annihilated, tortured and crushed into pieces. And he has  _loved_  every second of it. How frustrated it makes him, and how alive he feels then. He wants to experience it again, being able to soar with all the freedom in the world as he revels in the unexpected, facing an opponent completely out of his league.

"Ogata-san!" Sai exclaims, waving at the bespectacled man as he skips his way towards him.

"A game? Yeah, yeah I get it." He sighs exasperatedly. "Tell you what, if you can beat my friends' masterpiece AlphaGo then I'll play with you. How about that?" Seiji narrows his eyes, trying his best to repress the desire to have a rematch. He has to stop himself. He has rejected Go for all those time in favour of obeying his parents' will and he doubts he will be a strong enough man to play a game without any string attached. Last time he played against Touya Kouyo is painful enough and it takes him a good month or two to finally get over it. However, against Sai, he will want to have another rematch, and another, and another, and another. He will forever be chasing after Sai until he faces him in an official match.

That's the closest Seiji has ever gotten on developing a crush on someone, and it has to be over their Go.

" _The_  AlphaGo? The one that beat Lee Sedol?" Sai's eyes immediately widen impossibly and he nods violently. "Yes! Yes! I'll play!" He has been wanting to have a go at the infamous AI and if that means he will be able to play against Seiji by the end of it, it will be more than worth it.

Sai wins his match by resignation and Seiji thinks that he might be in love. With Sai's Go. Nothing more than that.

That's what he keeps telling himself anyway.

.

Sai sits in front of his Go-ban with anticipation as Seiji makes good on his promise although not without a pained look on his stoic demeanour. His hands tremble as they reach for the lid of the Go-ke and it clatters to the ground at his moment of weakness.

The whole time, Sai remains silent and not even attempting to offer a word of comfort for his opponent as there is simply nothing to say to magically make it all better. This is a step that Seiji has to take for himself and Sai can only imagine how painful it is for him, to be forced away from his true passion to pursue something that he seemingly has no interest in.

However, his sincere love for the game shows through his action, through the subtle shift in intonation and body language. Sai doesn't want Seiji to keep hiding in the shadows as if he is merely a puppet unable to take control of his own life. Sai wants to see Seiji setting himself free and even though it might not lead him into the path that he's walking in, Sai is willing to accept and respect that decision, but only if Seiji stop denying the fire that burns brightly deep within him. The fire that entrances Sai so.

It's different than Hikaru's or Akira's wildfire that threatens to burn everything in their path through their fearsome talent. Seiji's flame is controlled and consistent as if he has the full power of where and when to unleash it. It's something that doesn't happen through talent, but only through rigorous practice and countless of games. His play style is very mature and almost authoritative just like he is, in comparison to Sai's flexibility.

Sai adores Seiji's Go.

That's what he keeps telling himself anyway.

.

Seiji loses by ten and a half moku.

Sai did not hold back on him and he feels emotion getting the better of him as he lowers his head and fists the fabric of his white pants in frustration. He thinks himself of skilled, but he doesn't realise just how much he pales when standing face to face against the infamous Sai. He is just like a bright ray of light cutting through his shadow and never before has Seiji ever feel so  _scared_  and so  _delighted._

He grabs his shoulder and presses down on it firmly but he is unable to stop the tremble. His family is depending on him to run the business. He cannot afford to betray their expectation to pursue Go, even if it means defying his own desire. With the company, he will be able to live a lush and effortless life and retire somewhere with a beachfront property, sipping away on some martini. Perfect isn't it?

Except it isn't.

Seiji cannot picture himself doing anything else except for Go in the future. The match against Sai re-awakens his love for the game and makes him see the true beauty of it and just how much emotion it evokes out of his trained calmness and stoicism.

"Follow the path you want to follow, not the one that is chosen for you, Seiji," Sai says softly, closing his Ogi fan and lays it on his lap as he painfully watches the visible emotional struggle the man is under.

Seiji grits his teeth, not wanting to say anything foolish in the spur of the moment but he finds himself trapped in quicksand. The more he resists, the faster he is sucked in. So, he finally chokes out, half-screaming. "I love Go."

Sai smiles, feeling tears welling up in his eyes as he walks to sit next to Seiji and wraps the man in a warm embrace.

"I know."

.

The first day of the pro exam.

Seiji can hardly believe it's finally happening. His parents are enraged at his decision to pursue Go and says that they will disown him if he continues to be difficult. He could really care less and Sai gladly takes him under his wings. Now he lives with him and his student, Shindou Hikaru, a 3-dan professional at a young age of 15. Seiji has a lot of catching up to do.

He won his preliminaries with stunning 5-0, making all of his opponents admit defeat by the time middle of chuban rolls around. People are quick to notice him as the one and only  _Nori_  from NetGo and cowers in fear at the sight of his sharp eyes.

"Alright, Nori! Come here." Sai gives Seiji a warm smile before moving forward to take Nori into his hands from Seiji's. The cat purrs comfortably inside Sai's arms.

"She loves you." Seiji gives the man a smile back in return and leans in to give the cat a quick pat on the head. Nori generally doesn't do well under a stranger's touch, but Sai's hands work magic both on the Go board, on animals and on him, he learns, as Sai takes his hand and leans in to peck him on the cheek

"Good luck, Seiji. You'll do so well." He says shyly, looking at him through the long and thick curls of his eyelashes. Seiji is rendered into a speechless and blushing mess when Sai turns around and hurries outside nervously.

Sai loves Seiji's Go and Seiji loves Sai's Go. Nothing more, nothing less.

That's what they keep telling themselves anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> If you guys enjoyed it, please do leave comments, kudos and bookmarks! Appreciate it :)
> 
> Plot is influenced by The Greatest Showman's song [The Other Side](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk008ADh4iY).


End file.
